Sajid, 42, and Wajid, 40, are real brothers who are not just bonded through their music, but also through values instilled by their father. While Wajid composes, Sajid arranges, melody being key to both. They are both protective about each other and while Sajid is most attached to Wajid, Wajid’s soft corner is clearly his mother. While they won their first Filmfare award for their music in Dabangg, Deewana and Partner too remain their favourite albums. Even though their music of Jai Ho is still to release, their song Saamne Hai Savera from Bullett Raja is already a hit. Over an hour-long conversation with TOI they speak about their father’s khuddari, Sonu Nigam’s hoshiyari and Salman Khan’s dildari. Excerpts:
You come from a musical family. Let’s talk about your childhood? Sajid: While we were both born and brought up in Mumbai, our grandfather Ustad Abdul Latif Khan sahab was a musician from Peshawar, Pakistan, who moved to Saharanpur post partition as my grandmother was from India. Our father Sharafat Ali Khan, from a very early age, played the dholak and by the age of 10, he became famous as the leading dholak player in Western UP belt and decided to move to Mumbai. He was picked up by top music directors and travelled the world, performing shows with Ashaji and many other leading artistes. Our nana Padma Shri Fayaz Ali Khan sahab from Kirana gharana was a big man, who at that time owned a flat in Mumbai and taught music to half the industry. He heard my father perform and decided to get his daughter married to him. From a young age, I learnt the tabla and Wajid, the guitar, and as children we would sit with my nana and play with big artistes without realising that. Even though our father was uneducated, he was a thorough musician and knew how to impart musical education to us. He did that throughout his life till four months back, when he passed away at just 63, due to a second bypass surgery that he could not survive.
Let’s talk about your father? Sajid: My father being a top musician never had time, as he always had so much work. While usually kids go to class to learn music, we got everything on a platter and learnt informally and unknowingly, a lot. We were never tied up to music and were introduced to music, ranging from Michael Jackson’s Thriller to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab’s music. He would say, ‘You should be a versatile artiste, whether you are a singer, musician or a music director. He was a believer in melody and would always say that in a song the ‘aha’ comes only if it has melody. And he instilled the importance of melody in our minds. Papa wanted us to always be perfect. He would demoralise us even when we would make great songs and say, ‘halka hai’. Wajid would often stay up all night practising and perfecting himself, always thinking why his father said ‘halka hai’. When we were young and if we were wrong, he would never hit us. Even if he hit us, he would hit us very reluctantly thinking that we shouldn’t get hurt. But if I was down, and if I cried, that is the time he would slap me really hard and say, ‘Mard bache rote nahi.’ He wanted us to be men. For him, being a man was loving your people, being responsible and always giving. He was a liberal man, who just wanted us to be independent and not be dependent on anybody. He would always encourage us to share our knowledge and would say, ‘Allah gives only a few people the luck to be responsible and look after others. He gives courage to people who have the heart.’ In our hearts, we know today that we are responsible. He was our father, but also our friend. Before dying, he hugged us and said, ‘In this world there is no bigger wealth than brothers staying together and being together. There is nothing greater than blood.’ We both bought our flats due to his confidence that he would stay with the both of us, but he died before that. Today, nobody in the world can control me, except for my father, and I miss his domination. I get scared now that I don’t feel scared of anybody. I never used to show him that I was scared of him but now that he is not there, I feel scared that he is not there to control me.
Did he play with you as a musician in your shows? Sajid: He was very khuddar. Even when we became Sajid-Wajid, he would insist on going for shows with us only as a musician and not as our father. I would feel shy of him performing with us and felt that he being our father should accompany us as our father and not as a musician. He got annoyed and said, ‘Partner, you better give my payment and take me as a musician.’ He would want us to deduct money for my mother’s ticket if she accompanied us as according to him she was his wife and his responsibility. He would never come as our father and never wanted any money from us.
Both of you are quite different. Do you fight? Wajid: Sajid bhai, being the oldest, was allowed more liberties and was my father’s favourite child. He is very impulsive and can be easily misunderstood as many a time he will not think before speaking, is happy-go-lucky and a lovely human being. I am usually calm and try and listen before I judge people. As a brother, I know him well and understand him, but knowing his nature I have to take more responsibility and know that there are ways in which you can speak the truth. How you put it across makes a difference.
Sajid: We do fight a lot, but in today’s world, you don’t get brothers like Wajid. God has stopped making them. He is extremely respectful and I love him the most in the world.
Wajid: There came a time when I would get irritated with Sajid bhai. Salman bhai sensed that and I told him, ‘I don’t like when people misunderstand Sajid bhai.’ Salman bhai said, ‘If you want to be happy, leave him alone.’ From then on I have groomed myself to let go.
How did you meet Salman Khan? Sajid: I would get chucked out of the house by my father often. I was in college when on one such occasion, he again told me to leave the house as I had had an argument with him at the time of riyaz in the morning. I went to a pool place in the afternoon where I found myself to be all alone. I was very upset wondering why my father did that to me even though I tried as much as I could to listen to him. Suddenly, I saw Salman bhai walking in and there was just the both of us. Even though he did not know me and I was a stranger to him, we ate lunch together. That was his greatness as only he can do that with a stranger. We formed a friendship that was God send. After so many years of knowing him, I can say that ‘Zingadi mein koi toh hai jisko main apna bada bhai bol sakta hoon.’
How did you get your first break in Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya? Sajid: Sohail bhai gave us our first break. Sohail bhai used to play pool and we were in the same group and became friends. At that time, we were struggling music directors. The next day I would call him as a struggler and seek time as a music director without telling him that we played pool the night before. This would continue for some time where at night we would play pool together and the next morning again, I would call him asking for time as a struggler and he would make excuses till one day he gave into my perseverance and called us. He laughed when he saw me and of course gave us our first film to compose music for.
Salman has had a big role to play in your life. What is he like? Sajid: He is like any elder brother you look up to. After God Almighty and our parents, it is Salman bhai for us and we have learnt a lot from him. His standards for music are very high and he pushes you to do your best. Many of our songs have become hits due to his suggestions. Salman bhai is very giving and has the power of forgiving.
He can shock you with the range of songs he likes and he will always go with the best song for the situation as his understanding of scripts is very deep. Once you are associated with him, he is protective about you. He is possessive about people he loves, as he is about his brothers. The special thing about him is that he is not possessive about your freedom.
Who is your favourite singer? Wajid: Sonu Nigam. More than a singer, I love him like a brother and respect him. He is somebody who you can count on in difficult times. He is very musical and knowledgeable and is both a teacher and a student. He is open to a lot of discussion as far as music is concerned and never ceases to surprise you as a singer.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Musice> News and Interviews / by Priya Gupta, TNN / Wednesday – November 27th, 2013
V. Anandaraju, an employee of city-based N. Ranga Rao & Sons, has won gold medal in 60 kg Black Belt Category (Loba) at the Squay Martial Art National Championship 2013 held at Goa between Nov. 14 and 16. He represented Karnataka in the championship.
